Bismihi Ta`ala
*THE MORNING SUNNAH WALK.* *The beloved prophet Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam adopted a healthy lifestyle and he encouraged others to be healthy. The means to attain divine pleasure is through of actions and intentions. And actions are the production of the body. That is why it is important to keep a healthy body so that we may produce maximum good actions. The beloved prophet Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam said that the best person is the one who has the longest lifespan and that he has spent that life in good actions(Tirmizi):*
عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ صَالِحٍ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ قَيْسٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ بُسْرٍأَنَّ أَعْرَابِيًّا قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَنْ خَيْرُ النَّاسِ قَالَ مَنْ طَالَ عُمُرُهُ وَحَسُنَ عَمَلُهُترمذي
*Hence it is a muslim`s agenda to choose those healthy means to give oneself more chance to live longer healthily. We have already written the sunnah diet and today we would add physical exercise to that. The sunnah teaches us to give the body physical exercise even at the availability of transport facilities.* *Reported in Tabrani that during his travels, after Fajr, the beloved prophet Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam used to hold the reigns of his camel and then walk.*عن يحيى بن سعيد الانصاري عن انسابن مالك قال كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا صلى الفجر في السفر مشى – زاد فيه غيره – قليلا وناقته تقادطبراني *Reported in Bukhari that the beloved prophet Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam used to walk to Masjid Quba every Saturday. Sometimes he would take his camel also.*
حدثنا موسى بن إسماعيل حدثنا عبد العزيز بن مسلم عن عبد الله بن دينار عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما قالكان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يأتي مسجد قباء كل سبت ماشيا وراكبا وكان عبد الله بن عمر رضي الله عنهما يفعلهبخاري *Reported that Ibn Umar r.a. used to walk after Fajr Saturday to Masjid Quba.(Istizkaar)*
وحدثنا خلف بن سعيد قال حدثنا عبد الله بن محمد قال حدثنا أحمد بن خالد قال حدثنا علي بن عبد العزيز وحدثنا أحمد بن عبد الله بن محمد حدثنا أبي حدثنا عمر بن حفص بن أبي تمام حدثنا إبراهيم بن أبي مرزوق قالا حدثنا عارم أبو النعمان قال حدثنا حماد بن زيد عن أيوب عن نافع قال كان عبد الله بن عمر يأتي مسجد قباء في كل سبت إذا صلى الغداة وكان يكره أن يخرج منه حتى يصلي فيهالاستذكار
*Masjid Quba is 5 kilometres from Masjid An Nabawi. Hence weekly at least, Rasouloullah Swalalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam was walking at least that distance. Daily everyone in Madinah were walking a few kilometres for their toilets. Others were walking lots of paces from and to Masjid. In fact, the beloved prophet Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam encouraged Sahabahs to stay far from Masjid so that they may accumulate more sawaab on each pace towards and returning from Masjid.*
*Once, during my student days, I went after Fajr to a nearby town to sit in the company of Sheikh Hakim Akhtar r.a. I found the Masjid empty. Then we went to an open space nearby where Hazrat and his mureeds were all taking a walk. So me and my saathi joined the walk.* *As such, instead of going to sleep after Fajr, rather use this barkat time for deeni fikr, to walk, to exercise and other activities. Breath in deeply the fresh air in the morning and confront the day with optimism and zikrullah/masnoon duas.*
Mufti Mackoojee